Henry David Thoreau: Walden - Essay Example

Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Henry David Thoreau: Walden Emerson lists several qualities of being a poet. These qualities explain that the poet is a representative, a ‘namer’ of things, a language maker and, even a liberating god! However, for purposes of this paper, we shall go with the first definition…

Extract of sample"Henry David Thoreau: Walden"

Download file to see previous pages
Nobody has done that better than Thoreau. Also, the two writers were great friends (Mersand 59). It is possible that some of the conclusions drawn about ‘The Poet’ are as a result of Emerson observing Thoreau. It is also right to say that both poets passed on these characteristics onto one another in the course of their interactions. This makes it extremely necessary to study them as a single unit. Emerson points out several qualities of being a poet. The top most quality is that the poet is not selfish. Poets are portrayed to be different from other ordinary artists’ who are selfish and sensual. Ordinary artists prefer to make judgments’ even when they are removed from the phenomena they wish to describe. On the contrary, this is not the case with poets who form the center of this inquiry. I have settled on Henry David Thoreau and his work Walden. This is because of the significance of peaceful co-existence with nature and the environment that it has gained today. From the outset, it is a bit too obvious that Henry David Thoreau was an extremely unselfish poet. He had to move out of a comfortable home into the woods. The poem illustrates how the persona (the poet) moved one mile from his neighbor into the woods on to the shores of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts. He lived there for two years and two months earning a living by working hard. Thoreau vividly describes his outing in the woods in Walden. He clearly underwent great material deprivation normally associated with comfort. For him, this is the best kind of comfort he could find. He wanted to be one with nature. Thoreau in the chapter economy explicates in details how he lived in such punishing circumstances. The poet as a representative has already been said to be isolated from contemporaries, by truth and art. This is the case in Walden. Henry David Thoreau details his reasons for going into the woods as follows. He explains that he went into the forest because he wished to have a deliberate life, so that he would only front the important aspects of life. This is an ideal poet according to Emerson’s description. In addition to this, Thoreau sets forth his solitary mission in ‘Solitude’. He explicates that men on many occasions asked him whether he felt lonely inside the woods and wanted to be near people during the snowy, rainy days and nights. He answers them in the form of a question, “Why should I feel lonely?” He poses this question and challenges people into his line of thought his mission was one for mankind, and that he was to find secrets of the woods since he was a representative of every man out there (Mersand 79). As representatives of the human race, poets are also said to have conversations with nature. In Walden, specifically in the topic ‘From the Bean-Field’, Thoreau details his interactions with plants. He poses the question, “What shall I learn of beans and beans of me?” He was determined to know beans. He even details his curious and intimate acquaintances with various kinds of weeds. He clearly gives the impression that he is not just on a journey through the woods, but rather on a study trip. He also treats the plants with great care. He talks of his sense of guilt for disturbing the delicate organization of the weeds. He did not want to make invidious distinctions with his hoe. The verbs used in this instance are poignant. According to Emerson,
...Download file to see next pagesRead More

By using nature as an entity to explain certain truths of human existence, he stresses the essential role that nature plays in society and the importance of man's relationship to nature.
People have spent centuries pondering the relationship between citizens and their government.

Thoreau demonstrates in Walden “Transcendentalism's preoccupation with the details of nature, which seemed to encapsulate divine glory in microcosmic form” (Finseth, 15). Thoreau’s Walden represents his quest to discover the true meaning of life. Thoreau states the purpose of this experiment: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Chapter 2, para.

ometimes a tool to gain competitive advantage, not only in the domestic but also in the international market and the player emerges as the leader in the industry that manages well the intricacies of the marketing campaign.
When a company operates across boundaries, it holds

According to the author, nurse care planning is the application of the nursing process to a specific client situation. Nurses play an important role in the health promotion of an individual due to their direct contact and proximity with the patients. The 3 basic roles of a nurse are that of a practitioner, leader and researcher.

Thoreau’s voluntary determination to live in a small self-built home in the wilderness, well away from all other people, illustrates his dedication to the Transcendental idea that possessions and concentration upon

The first characteristic feature of the narrator of the novel, which arrests the reader’s attention, is his adherence to the idea of people has a right to live as they choose even though they choose to

One can glean some redeeming arguments from Thoreau’s overall philosophy, even though it condemns industrial progress. Literary criticism of Thoreau’s Walden elaborates on his ideals: “Simplicity is good for the soul, for the right relation with God,” (McKibben 20).

Henry David Thoreau spent two years near Walden Pond living a life of solitude. His observations as explained in this book mention about various birds and particularly about his close encounter with the Merlin Hawk (also known as the Pigeon Hawk as its appearance is similar to that of a pigeon).

The book takes one into the lap of nature at the Walden Pond where the author spent 26 months of his life in the unity of nature and humanity and divinity. The book is a way by which the author shares his discoveries- the self discovery, the discovery of his inner being and the discovery of a way by which life can be led, with his reader.

7 Pages(1750 words)Essay

GOT A TRICKY QUESTION? RECEIVE AN ANSWER FROM STUDENTS LIKE YOU!

TRY US!

sponsored ads

Save Your Time for More Important Things

Let us write or edit the essay on your topic
"Henry David Thoreau: Walden"
with a personal 20% discount.